31December Births

December 31 is the 365th day of the year (366th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. This date is slightly more likely to fall on a Monday, Thursday or Saturday (58 in 400 years each) than on Tuesday or Wednesday (57), and slightly less likely to occur on a Friday or Sunday (56). It is widely known as New Year's Eve since the following day is New Year's Day. It is the last day of the year. The following day is January 1 of the following year.
Births
695 – Muhammad bin Qasim, Syrian general (d. 715)
1378 – Pope Callixtus III (d. 1458)
1491 – Jacques Cartier, French navigator and explorer (d. 1557)
1493 – Eleonora Gonzaga, Duchess of Urbino (d. 1570)
1514 – Andreas Vesalius, Belgian anatomist, physician, and author (d. 1564)
1552 – Simon Forman, English occultist and astrologer (d. 1611)
1572 – Emperor Go-Yōzei of Japan, (d. 1617)
1585 – Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, Spanish general and politician, 24th Governor of the Duchy of Milan (d. 1645)
1668 – Herman Boerhaave, Dutch botanist and physician (d. 1738)
1714 – Arima Yoriyuki, Japanese mathematician and educator (d. 1783)
1720 – Charles Edward Stuart, Italian husband of Princess Louise of Stolberg-Gedern (d. 1788)
1738 – Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, English general and politician, 3rd Governor-General of India (d. 1805)
1741 – Gottfried August Bürger, German poet and academic (d. 1794)
1763 – Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, French admiral (d. 1806)
1776 – Johann Spurzheim, German-American physician and phrenologist (d. 1832)
1798 – Friedrich Robert Faehlmann, Estonian physician, philologist, and academic (d. 1850)
1805 – Marie d'Agoult, German-French historian and author (d. 1876)
1815 – George Meade, American general and engineer (d. 1872)
1830 – Isma'il Pasha, Egyptian ruler (d. 1895)
1830 – Alexander Smith, Scottish poet and critic (d. 1867)
1838 – Émile Loubet, French lawyer and politician, 7th President of France (d. 1929)
1842 – Giovanni Boldini, Italian painter (d. 1931)
1851 – Henry Carter Adams, American economist and academic (d. 1921)
1855 – Giovanni Pascoli, Italian poet and scholar (d. 1912)
1857 – King Kelly, American baseball player and manager (d. 1894)
1860 – Joseph S. Cullinan, American businessman, co-founded Texaco (d. 1937)
1864 – Robert Grant Aitken, American astronomer and academic (d. 1951)
1869 – Henri Matisse, French painter and sculptor (d. 1954)
1872 – Fred Marriott, American race car driver (d. 1956)
1873 – Konstantin Konik, Estonian surgeon and politician, 19th Estonian Minister of Education (d. 1936)
1874 – Julius Meier, American businessman and politician, 20th Governor of Oregon (d. 1937)
1877 – Lawrence Beesley, English journalist and author (d. 1967)
1878 – Elizabeth Arden, Canadian businesswoman, founded Elizabeth Arden, Inc. (d. 1966)
1878 – Horacio Quiroga, Uruguayan-Argentinian author, poet, and playwright (d. 1937)
1880 – Fred Beebe, American baseball player and coach (d. 1957)
1880 – George Marshall, American general and politician, 50th United States Secretary of State, Nobel Prize laureate (d. 1959)
1881 – Max Pechstein, German painter and academic (d. 1955)
1884 – Bobby Byrne, American baseball and soccer player (d. 1964)
1884 – Mihály Fekete, Hungarian actor, screenwriter, and film director (d. 1960)
1885 – Princess Victoria Adelaide of Schleswig-Holstein (d. 1970)
1899 – Silvestre Revueltas, Mexican violinist, composer, and conductor (d. 1940)
1901 – Nikos Ploumpidis, Greek educator and politician (d. 1954)
1902 – Lionel Daunais, Canadian singer-songwriter (d. 1982)
1902 – Roy Goodall, English footballer (d. 1982)
1904 – William Heynes, English engineer (d. 1989)
1905 – Helen Dodson Prince, American astronomer and academic (d. 2002)
1905 – Jule Styne, English-American composer (d. 1994)
1908 – Simon Wiesenthal, Ukrainian-Austrian nazi hunter and author (d. 2005)
1909 – Jonah Jones, American trumpet player and saxophonist (d. 2000)
1910 – Carl Dudley, American director, producer, and screenwriter (d. 1973)
1910 – Enrique Maier, Spanish tennis player (d. 1981)
1911 – Dal Stivens, Australian soldier and author (d. 1997)
1912 – John Frost, Indian-English general (d. 1993)
1915 – Sam Ragan, American journalist, author, and poet (d. 1996)
1917 – Evelyn Knight, American singer (d. 2007)
1917 – Wilfrid Noyce, English mountaineer and author (d. 1962)
1919 – Tommy Byrne, American baseball player, coach, and politician (d. 2007)
1919 – Carmen Contreras-Bozak, Puerto Rican-American soldier
1920 – Rex Allen, American actor and singer-songwriter (d. 1999)
1922 – Tomás Balduino, Brazilian bishop (d. 2014)
1922 – Halina Czerny-Stefańska, Polish pianist and educator (d. 2001)
1922 – Luis Zuloaga, Venezuelan baseball player (d. 2013)
1923 – Giannis Dalianidis, Greek actor, director, and screenwriter (d. 2010)
1924 – Taylor Mead, American actor and poet (d. 2013)
1925 – Irina Korschunow, German author and screenwriter (d. 2013)
1925 – Sri Lal Sukla, Indian author (d. 2011)
1925 – Daphne Oram, British composer and electronic musician (d. 2003)
1926 – Valerie Pearl, English historian and academic (d. 2016)
1926 – Billy Snedden, Australian lawyer and politician, 17th Attorney-General for Australia (d. 1987)
1928 – Ross Barbour, American pop singer (d. 2011)
1928 – Tatyana Shmyga, Russian actress and singer (d. 2011)
1928 – Siné, French cartoonist (d. 2016)
1928 – Veijo Meri, Finnish author and translator (d. 2015)
1929 – Mies Bouwman, Dutch television host
1929 – Peter May, English cricketer (d. 1994)
1930 – Odetta, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress (d. 2008)
1930 – Jaime Escalante, Bolivian-American educator (d. 2010)
1931 – Ray Graves, American football player and coach (d. 2015)
1931 – Bob Shaw, Northern Irish journalist and author (d. 1996)
1932 – Don James, American football player and coach (d. 2013)
1932 – Felix Rexhausen, German journalist and author (d. 1992)
1933 – Edward Bunker, American author, screenwriter, and actor (d. 2005)
1934 – Ameer Muhammad Akram Awan, Indian author, poet, and scholar
1936 – Noel Jan Tyl, American astrologer and author
1937 – Avram Hershko, Hungarian-Israeli biochemist and physician, Nobel Prize laureate
1937 – Anthony Hopkins, Welsh actor, director, and composer
1937 – Barry Hughes, Welsh footballer and manager
1937 – Tess Jaray, Austrian-English painter and educator
1938 – Rosalind Cash, American actress (d. 1995)
1938 – Atje Keulen-Deelstra, Dutch speed skater (d. 2013)
1939 – Willye White, American sprinter and long jumper (d. 2007)
1940 – Mani Neumeier, German drummer
1941 – Alex Ferguson, Scottish footballer and manager
1941 – Sarah Miles, English actress
1942 – Andy Summers, English guitarist, songwriter, and producer
1943 – John Denver, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor (d. 1997)
1943 – Ben Kingsley, English actor
1943 – Pete Quaife, English bass player, author, and artist (d. 2010)
1944 – Taylor Hackford, American director, producer, and screenwriter
1945 – Connie Willis, American author
1946 – Roy Greenslade, English journalist and academic
1946 – Bryan Hamilton, Northern Irish footballer and coach
1946 – Pius Ncube, Zimbabwean archbishop
1946 – Lyudmila Pakhomova, Russian ice dancer (d. 1986)
1946 – Cliff Richey, American tennis player
1946 – Eric Robson, Scottish journalist and author
1946 – Nigel Rudd, English businessman, founded Williams Holdings
1946 – Tim Stevens, English bishop
1946 – Diane von Fürstenberg, Belgian-American fashion designer
1947 – Burton Cummings, Canadian singer-songwriter and keyboard player
1947 – Rita Lee, Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actress
1947 – Tim Matheson, American actor, director, and producer
1948 – Joe Dallesandro, American actor
1948 – Sandy Jardine, Scottish footballer and manager (d. 2014)
1948 – René Robert, Canadian ice hockey player
1948 – Donna Summer, American singer-songwriter (d. 2012)
1949 – Ellen Datlow, American anthologist and author
1949 – Susan Shwartz, American author
1950 – Phil Blakeway, Welsh-English rugby player
1950 – Bob Gilder, American golfer
1950 – Inge Helten, German sprinter
1950 – Cheryl Womack, American businesswoman
1951 – Tom Hamilton, American bass player and songwriter
1951 – Kenny Roberts, American motorcycle racer
1952 – Vaughan Jones, New Zealand mathematician and academic
1952 – Jean-Pierre Rives, French rugby player, painter, and sculptor
1953 – Jane Badler, American actress
1953 – Trevor Phillips, English broadcaster and politician
1953 – Michael Hedges, American singer-songwriter and guitarist (d. 1997)
1954 – Alex Salmond, Scottish economist and politician, 4th First Minister of Scotland
1954 – Hermann Tilke, German race car driver and engineer
1956 – Robert Goodwill, English farmer and politician
1956 – Helma Knorscheidt, German shot putter
1956 – Steve Rude, American author and illustrator
1958 – Geoff Marsh, Australian cricketer and coach
1958 – Bebe Neuwirth, American actress and dancer
1959 – Liveris Andritsos, Greek basketball player
1959 – Val Kilmer, American actor
1959 – Phill Kline, American lawyer and politician, Kansas Attorney General
1959 – Baron Waqa, Nauruan composer and politician, 14th President of Nauru
1959 – Paul Westerberg, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1960 – Steve Bruce, English footballer and manager
1961 – Rick Aguilera, American baseball player and coach
1961 – Jeremy Heywood, English economist and civil servant
1962 – Tyrone Corbin, American basketball player and coach
1962 – Chris Hallam, English-Welsh swimmer and wheelchair racer (d. 2013)
1963 – Scott Ian, American singer-songwriter and guitarist
1964 – Winston Benjamin, Antiguan cricketer
1964 – Michael McDonald, American comedian, actor, and director
1965 – Tony Dorigo, Australian-English footballer and sportscaster
1965 – Julie Doucet, Canadian cartoonist and author
1965 – Gong Li, Chinese actress
1965 – Laxman Sivaramakrishnan, Indian cricketer
1965 – Nicholas Sparks, American author, screenwriter, and producer
1968 – Gerry Dee, Canadian comedian, actor, and screenwriter
1968 – Junot Diaz, Dominican-born American novelist, short story writer, and essayist
1970 – Jorge Alberto da Costa Silva, Brazilian footballer
1970 – Danny McNamara, English singer-songwriter
1970 – Carlos Morales Quintana, Spanish-Danish architect and sailor
1970 – Bryon Russell, American basketball player
1971 – Brent Barry, American basketball player and sportscaster
1971 – Esteban Loaiza, Mexican baseball player
1972 – Joey McIntyre, American singer-songwriter and actor
1973 – Shandon Anderson, American basketball player
1973 – Malcolm Middleton, Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist
1973 – Curtis Myden, Canadian swimmer
1974 – Joe Abercrombie, English author
1974 – Mario Aerts, Belgian cyclist
1974 – Tony Kanaan, Brazilian race car driver
1974 – Ryan Sakoda, Japanese-American wrestler and trainer
1975 – Rami Alanko, Finnish ice hockey player
1975 – Toni Kuivasto, Finnish footballer and coach
1975 – Rob Penders, Dutch footballer
1975 – Sander Schutgens, Dutch runner
1976 – Luís Carreira, Portuguese motorcycle racer (d. 2012)
1976 – Matthew Hoggard, English cricketer
1976 – Craig Reucassel, Australian comedian, actor, and screenwriter
1977 – Wardy Alfaro, Costa Rican footballer and coach
1977 – Psy, South Korean singer-songwriter, producer, and dancer
1979 – Paul O'Neill, English race car driver
1979 – Jeff Waldstreicher, American lawyer and politician
1980 – Jesse Carlson, American baseball player
1980 – Matt Cross, American wrestler
1980 – Richie McCaw, New Zealand rugby player
1980 – Carsten Schlangen, German runner
1981 – Jason Campbell, American football player
1981 – Matthew Pavlich, Australian footballer
1981 – Margaret Simpson, Ghanaian heptathlete
1982 – Julio DePaula, Dominican baseball player
1982 – Craig Gordon, Scottish footballer
1982 – Luke Schenscher, Australian basketball player
1982 – The Rocket Summer, American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer
1984 – Ben Hannant, Australian rugby league player
1984 – Édgar Lugo, Mexican footballer
1984 – Calvin Zola, Congolese footballer
1985 – Jonathan Horton, American gymnast
1985 – Jan Smit, Dutch singer and television host
1986 – Nate Freiman, American baseball player
1986 – Kade Snowden, Australian rugby league player
1987 – Javaris Crittenton, American basketball player
1987 – Danny Holla, Dutch footballer
1987 – Émilie Le Pennec, French gymnast
1987 – Nemanja Nikolić, Hungarian footballer
1990 – Patrick Chan, Canadian figure skater
1991 – Camila Giorgi, Italian tennis player
1991 – Bojana Jovanovski, Serbian tennis player
1992 – Karl Kruuda, Estonian race car driver
1993 – Ryan Blaney, American race car driver
1995 – Gabby Douglas, American gymnast

Source: Wikipedia